


A Ripple In Time

by shutiitt



Category: Naruto
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Anbu Uzumaki Naruto, Assassination, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Uzumaki Naruto, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Fox Demon Uzumaki Naruto, Foxes, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, Good Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Good Uchiha Sasuke, Hi no Kuni | Land of Fire, Hokage, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuuriki-centric, Jutsu, Jutsu Gone Wrong, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu | Shadow Clone Technique, Kage Bunshin | Shadow Clones, Kid Uzumaki Naruto, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Ninja, No Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, POV Uzumaki Naruto, Powerful Uzumaki Naruto, Pre-Canon, Sarcasm, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Summoning, Time Travel, Uchiha Sasuke Returns to Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend, Uzumaki Naruto-centric, Uzushiogakure | Hidden Eddy Village, Young Uzumaki Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:20:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27896710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutiitt/pseuds/shutiitt
Summary: A mistake while using the Hiraishin sends Naruto back to a time before she existed, and now she must deal with being a kid again, stopping Uzushiogakure from falling, alongside a chibi Yondaime worshipping her as his hero.Things couldn't get weirder, right?~Cross-posted on Wattpad (shutiitt_real) and FanFiction.net (shutiitt)~
Comments: 21
Kudos: 321





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Yellow Dyad](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11612991) by [YuunaFiction](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuunaFiction/pseuds/YuunaFiction). 
  * Inspired by [Home away from home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12168054) by [SammyHerondale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammyHerondale/pseuds/SammyHerondale). 



Naruto woke up with a massive headache and groaned in pain. She reached out to rub the ache away, but it didn't soothe the throbbing in the slightest. She frowned at the sensation. What was going on? Why was her head hurting so much?

Also, what was that brightness? It was only worsening the pain! She slammed her eyelids shut, face contorting in discomfort and confusion.

What had happened? She was sure she hadn't had a drink last night, nor had she taken a blow to the head. So why was it hurting so much?

Thoughts muddled, the blonde scrambled to her feet, but unlike her expectations, she immediately lost her balance, falling bottom first onto the ground with a wince.

Fuck, her body hurt! Also, what was that foreign feeling coming from her limbs? She was sure they weren't this short the last time she moved them. It was as if she was a kid again.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped wide open, pain momentarily forgotten, and she immediately turned her cerulean blue orbs to her arms. Her eyes widened, stretching to their limits as she gaped at the sight in front of her:

What the- her arms were way too short! Also, what was with those small, fragile-looking fingers connected to her soft palm, free of all the calluses she had gained from her decades of shinobi training?

Her eyes swept her body, and the findings were the same: her body was way too small to be a 26-year-old like her (now) previous one had been.

A curse slipped past her lips, and if Sakura were near, she would have definitely gotten a blow to the head for that. 

"Fucking hell."

Her mind blanked for a few seconds before thoughts started appearing in record-speed, only worsening her already throbbing head.

Why was she in a kid's body? Was this body even her own? And where was she anyway?

Raising her head, she was met with green. Green grass, green plants, green trees... Now that she thought about it, it looked quite similar to the forest outside Konoha, didn't it?

She shook her head at the thought. That was impossible. She had watched the forest burn to ashes with her own eyes during the battle against Uchiha Madara.

Madara. The word made memories swarm her head, making her hold it with a groan. Going through them, her eyes widened, everything finally clicking in place.

Right! She was fighting Madara! At least, she had been, along with Sasuke, for around a decade, until the raven had been pierced in the chest by he had taken a blow meant for her. She remembered it crystal clear, watching the life leave her friend's eyes as the Uchiha ancestor had chuckled ruthlessly, all because she had been distracted.

It was all her fault. She was the reason Sasuke was dead now.

Naruto shook her head, a silent tear running down her cheek despite her attempts to suppress it, mourning the loss of her best friend, her rival, the one person who had understood her the most. 

There was no time to be depressed. What had happened next?

From what she remembered, which wasn't a lot, it had been a blur: she had used the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ to attack the man in a fit of rage and suddenly, the mark had shone brightly, brighter than she had ever seen it shine. Then all she remembered was pain, as her body felt like it was being ripped apart forcefully.

Had the seal malfunctioned? Or maybe she had overloaded the seal with chakra in her fury. She knew she had used that one kunai too many times, but it had been a memento of her father, one he himself had used in battle, and one she had modified to fit herself.

She wanted to snack herself for her stupidity, but now wasn't the time for it. A malfunctioning space-time jutsu could cause many things, and she hoped whatever had happened, it was one of the milder ones.

Naruto sighed as she stared at her childish body, probably aged around seven or eight, but before she could think more on the subject, her eyes got glued on her stomach, and she breathed in a shaky gasp.

Kurama! What about Kurama? Was he alright?

Immediately entering her subconscious, she rushed through the white corridors that were once shaped as sewers, before coming to an abrupt stop in front of a familiar place.

Naruto took in a breath of relief as her eyes met those of her furry friend's, who looked very much irritated behind the bars of her seal.

Speaking of which, why was that there? She had broken the seal long ago, enabling Kurama the freedom he had craved years ago.

Approaching the bars, she raised her hand to touch the seal, ready to rip it apart, but was stopped by Kurama addressing her.

" **Don't. I'm the one that locked the seal.** "

Naruto snapped around in confusion, hand frozen where it was.

"What? Why?" she asked, lowering her hand and moving towards the fox, going through the large gaps within the bars before stopping in front of him.

Kurama's large crimson eyes gazed at her with an emotion she was quite familiar with: bitterness.

The fox let out a whiff of annoyance before he started explaining.

" **The second you stopped using the _Hiraishin_ , I felt myself being ripped apart. I do not know why, but if I hadn't acted quickly, I probably would have ceased existing a second later.**" 

Naruto scowled. That was a good reason, alright. She sighed as she rested her head on her hand, exhausted from her previous mental assault of memories and confusion.

"Any theories? I have one, but I'd rather hear yours first," she told her now-tenant and the fox nodded.

" **The only reason that could happen is if I am not supposed to exist. Meaning, there is another me.** " He let her figure out the rest, and the female nodded in understanding. That was her idea as well.

"Right. Time travel," she muttered, then suddenly started letting out a string of curses, much to the demon fox's amusement.

After she let out her frustration, meaning punching the bars of the cage multiple times, cursing until she ran out of words, and screaming in anger, she composed herself and turned back to her friend, a grim look in her face.

"This is bad," she muttered, hands rushing through her hair, a nervous tick of hers she only showed in front of those she trusted. "If I continue to exist here, the future might change!"

Kurama raised an eyebrow.

" **Do you have a way of going back, then?** " he asked, voice laced with sarcasm, causing the blonde to scowl at him.

"This isn't funny, Kurama! If I change even the tiniest bit, the me in the future might not even exist! My friends might not exist!" She cried out, voice filled with desperation.

Kurama sighed, then pressed one of his huge paws on the girl, and slammed her onto the ground with enough force to snap her out of her upcoming panic attack.

" **Calm down, kit. There might be another possibility,** " he told the blonde, making her whip her head to him.

"What?" she let out in confusion, making the fox scowl in annoyance. He hated how dense she could be for the strangest of things, especially when she was overwhelmed with emotions.

" **Kit, you are aware that the _Hiraishin no Jutsu_ is a space-time technique, correct?**" he asked, and Naruto nodded with irritation evident on her face. That much was obvious. " **A space-time technique does not only affect time but has the possibility of affecting dimensions as well.** "

Naruto scrunched up her face in annoyance. 

"I know that!" she snapped, having been learning about _Fuuinjutsu_ for around two decades. That was basic knowledge in space-time theory, one she knew by heart since before she had become a Genin.

Then, her eyes widened, what the fox had said finally settling in.

"Wait, you mean-" Kurama groaned at the idiotic look on her face.

**"I really do not understand _how_ you didn't realise sooner,**" he muttered, or whined if you asked Naruto-but Kurama did _not_ whine, he wasn't a toddler, he was _thousands_ of years old- though the sound was quite deep coming from his humongous body, and echoing throughout the mindscape. " **It is actually a much larger possibility for you to have travelled through dimensions. I do not think travelling through time in your own dimension is possible in the first place. Although, time is a difficult concept, and I have never heard of anyone succeeding to travel through time in the first place, so I do not know if it is possible.** "

Naruto had scrambled out from beneath his humongous paw as he was saying that, dusting herself off even if it weren't possible to get dirty in her mindscape.

She let out a frustrated growl at the implications of the fox's comment.

"So, I've either travelled to another dimension where another me exists, or I've gone back through time where another holder of another you exists." She then scratched her cheeks in annoyance, the whisker-like scars on them having faded slightly, not that she had realised the fact yet. "Or maybe, I've travelled to another dimension where I have yet to be born! Gah, how can I return back if I don't even know where or when I am?" 

She threw her arms into the air in anger, while the other contemplated what was said.

A startling thought appeared in the Kyuubi no Kitsune's head, and his eyes focused upon the frustrated blonde girl once again.

" **Naruto,** " he called out, and said female immediately turned to him, eyes wide and mouth gaping. He _never_ called her by the name. _Ever_. " **Are you sure you want to return to your old world?** "

She was just about to answer when the question truly sunk in, and the words died out. _Did_ she want to go back?

Thinking back, not much had been left to live for in her previous world. Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and all the others had long perished. Even if she did go back, only Madara awaited.

Did she really desire that? Nothing and nobody was waiting for her there. Not anymore.

Seeing reality sink in on the blonde made Kurama let out a breath of relief. Alright, now that the girl understood what was going on, the time to make plans came.

Minutes later, Naruto raised her head, eyes flaming with determination, and Kurama definitely didn't feel thankful that she was back. _Definitely_.

The girl clenched her fist firmly.

Wherever she was, whenever she was, she would make sure that the past-or future, it had gotten confusing at this point- didn't happen again.

This time, she would protect her friends. She would make sure none of them died again.

Because she was Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, Nanadaime Hokage of Konoha, although the village had already perished by the time she had taken the title, and the Most Unpredictable Ninja of Konoha!

And Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto _never_ went back on her word.


	2. Meeting The Uzukage

"So you're saying that you're from the future, used to be my age, carry the Kyuubi, and Uzu will cease to exist in a few months, then expect me to believe you?" asked Uzumaki Arashi, Acting Uzukage after his predecessor had passed away only a week ago.

Naruto, seated comfortably on the chair in front of him, nodded calmly as if the absurdity of the statement was nothing of concern.

"Correct." The man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties leaned backwards, face contemplative, and eyes filled with incredulity.

"I see..." he said, his voice thick with disbelief. After shaking his head a few times as if trying to clear it, he stared straight at the young blonde's eyes, the girl staring straight back at him as if the heavy weight of his stare was feather-light. "And have you any proof for that?"

Naruto hummed, tapping her cheek in thought, before her eyes brightened, and she gave a smile full of energy, nodding with all her might, acting perfectly like the child her body was aged as.

"I can let you talk to my tenant!"

Arashi flinched at the horrifying, terrible idea, but before he could refuse, the left half of Naruto's face started morphing: her eye turned crimson with slitted pupils, the faded whisker marks on her cheek suddenly thickened, and her fangs lengthened, turning as sharp as knives. An aura of danger and power combined enveloped the girl, and it took Arashi every bit of his willpower not to jump to his feet and whip out a kunai, while a drop of sweat dripped down his temple and onto his leg, not that he was in any state to take note of it.

The left side of her face grinned viciously, while the right side continued smiling brightly, and the scene sent shivers down the young man's spine. It was absolutely terrifying. They looked part angel and part demon, all in one body, both sides emitting power he had never seen before.

" **So you are the Uzukage.** " spoke the Kyuubi, voice deeper than the tone Naruto used, an aura of authority accompanying it, a distinct difference Arashi took note of. The man had no idea how the beast was talking if he only had control over half of the body's mouth, but he wasn't about to contemplate on that right now.

He nodded hesitantly, making the grin grow larger, only looking more vicious and bloodthirsty.

Meanwhile, the right side chuckled, the eye on that side looking towards the left in an unsuccessful attempt of seeing its state.

"It always feels strange when we do this, right, Kyuu-chan?"

Whenever they were in front of people the fox didn't trust, they had a rule of not revealing his name. The nine-tailed fox only gave his name to those he truly trusted, and for that, this nickname was created.

Kurama found it childish and annoying, wanting to change it as it definitely didn't fit for the infamous Kyuubi no Kitsune to be called such a girly nickname, which made Naruto like it even more, so she used it persistently to get under his skin.

After all, Naruto loved angering people.

The left side shot a glare to the right, and now they looked cross-eyed. In fact, if not for the fearsome tailed beast being a part of the scene, Arashi might have been amused.

" **I told you not to call me that.** " In response to that, Naruto pouted, but before she could tease him more, the Acting Uzukage sighed, a sigh filled with so much fatigue and misery that the girl nearly snorted at his suffering.

"So you claim to be the Kyuubi no Kitsune?" He asked, looking completely and utterly _done_ by the surprises he was experiencing.

The left side took on an arrogant expression as if the man in front of him were beneath him, and seeing that it was the Kyuubi no Youko, he certainly _was_.

" **Correct**." The fox snarled, nose scrunching slightly in annoyance. " **Now that you have been graced by my presence, do you need any more proof to believe my** **host?** "

Just like how Naruto didn't call him by his name, he didn't call him by his nickname either. Outsiders didn't need to know how close they were, as it could be used as a weakness against them.

They both agreed that hiding weaknesses were definitely necessary, especially in the war they had been for a near-decade.

Arashi examined him with narrowed eyes, before nodding in acceptance. He would recognise that foul chakra from anywhere, especially since he personally knew its (previous?) Jinchuuriki for many years. Accompanied with that much arrogance and self-confidence, who else could it be but the Kyuubi himself?

"Although your tale was quite unbelievable, I have no reason not to accept it after it was proven correct," he told them. Both sides of the face slightly relaxed, Naruto more so than Kurama, albeit only slightly. "Now, I would like to hear what you want from me. I assume, with the knowledge you've given me, you would like to make an exchange."

This time, both sides grinned viciously, and Arashi could not help but shiver at the similarity between them. It was as if the host and tenant were one, and wasn't that a horrifying thought, even more so than bus previous one of one body filled with two complete opposites?

Naruto leaned forward, amusement glinting in her eyes as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"You are entirely correct, Uzukage-sama," she practically purred, showing much too many teeth to be innocent. No trace was left of the purity she held a minute ago, replaced with an aura of cunning an amusement, as if she were a fox with its claws grasped on its prey. "You can imagine that as a time traveller, I have no way of proving my identity without the aid of Kyuu-chan," the left side scowled at the nickname, but didn't interrupt. "and while I have no intention of revealing my true identity to more than a few, I _do_ need an identity if I want to survive."

Arashi nodded, having caught on to what she was implying.

"I see. So you would like to become a citizen of Uzushiogakure no Sato?"

Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

"Correct. And I believe it will benefit me just as much as it would benefit you." She pulled down her sleeve on her left arm and pushed some chakra into the storage seal tattoo resting there, one Arashi stared at with interest, taking out a scroll and placing it onto the man's face.

The Acting Uzukage opened it with interest, and his eyes widened comically at the content of it.

The scroll contained the blueprints of a seal of Naruto's own creation, which she called a 'Chakra Leech'. It basically sucked chakra from the person or object it was drawn on and continued to do so until it was filled. The one on the scroll only had the containment capacity of Chuunin-level chakra, but it was still a revolution to the male Uzumaki.

He gaped at the drawing, and then at the girl, who gave him a satisfied smirk.

She couldn't wait to see his face when she revealed a second seal of her own creation to link and transfer the collected chakra to another one, effectively turning sealing into an art usable in fighting, by leeching on the opponent's chakra and using it against them.

"This is only the beginning. What do you say, Uzukage-sama?"

Seeing a glint in the girl's eyes, Arashi calmed down, and narrowed his eyes slightly, analysing the child in front of him.

"What are your conditions?" He asked. From the aura of the girl, he had suspicions that she wanted more than she let on.

He was proven correct when the girl straightened, licking her lips with mirth shining in her eyes. Arashi shivered at the expression. The girl could become a successful seductress if she so desired in the future easily if her features already so beautiful at infancy confirmed it.

"How observant," she praised him. Seeing no outward reaction, her smile dimmed slightly, and her exterior shifted, suddenly looking much older and mature than a second ago. It seems she had decided to cease her childish antics and move on to listing her demands. "I have two conditions: firstly, I want Jiraiya of the Sannin to be called here. He would be of help both to me and the upcoming threat to Uzushio."

Arashi nodded. That was acceptable and attainable.

The girl noted his agreement, and continued stating her conditions.

"Secondly, I want the Kyuubi to be sealed inside of me once again." Now this made his eyes harden. The next Jinchuuriki-to-be was already chosen, and such choices were not made lightly.

He was about to reveal his thoughts when Naruto held out his hand to silence him, making him pause.

"I know that Uzumaki Kushina has already been chosen for the job, but both Kyuu-chan and I agree that that isn't the best choice." The man hummed thoughtfully.

"Please state your reason," he said, calming down the outrage of emotions he was feeling inside of him, along with the overwhelming fatigue creeping on him from conversing with a previously-supposed-now-proven _actual_ time traveller.

Naruto nodded and started spitting out facts that both she and Kurama had agreed on.

"Firstly, she's very young, only around eight years old, which can affect her infantile chakra network negatively. Secondly, she has no prior experience with the Kyuubi's chakra, which is known to be extremely corrosive and malicious. Thirdly, she is blinded by the preconceptions told her about the Kyuubi's supposed evil nature, which is entirely incorrect by the way. Fourthly, she has a brash nature, and that will most certainly collide with the Kyuubi's pride. There is absolutely no way they will ever get along, and have access to a Jinchuuriki's true potential." she counted out, her fingers moving accordingly with the number of facts she listed out. "And lastly, Kyuu-chan was sealed into me the day I was born, so I already have two-decades and a half years of experience with him. See what I mean?"

Arashi leaned forward contemplatively.

All of the reasons she had stated were entirely correct, and she made sense with her request, however absurd it was.

After a while, he sighed, and nodded his head, causing a blinding smile to appear on the seven-year-old's face.

He held up a hand to signal for her wait before she started cheering, and a sigh exited his lips.

"I can allow that, but the girl's family won't. Being a Jinchuuriki is very prestigious in Uzushio, and depriving someone already chosen to have the position won't be accepted easily."

Naruto chuckled at that.

"No problem," she said nonchalantly, and gears immediately started turning in the Acting Uzukage's head.

He leaned forward in interest.

"Does that mean you have a solution?"

Naruto nodded, and a sly smile appeared on her face, mirrored by the side currently occupied by Kurama, who had immediately discerned her thought process.

"Nobody could reject it if the Kyuubi himself agreed, right?"


	3. The Clash of Time

Naruto had always envisioned Uzumaki Mito as an old, white-haired wrinkly woman with a gentle smile, so she was quite surprised when the woman she met was exactly the opposite.

Uzumaku Mito was over seventy years old, and yet she didn't look a day over thirty. Her hair, a rebellious crimson that shone brightly, had not one single grey strand in it.

The only reason Naruto even recognised her was because of her eyes.

Eyes the exact shade of violet, and carrying so much wisdom that when they lay upon her she couldn't _breathe_. Eyes that had gone through war, eyes that had seen many things, including her beloved husband's untimely demise.

Uzumaki Mito was without a doubt old, just not in a way she had expected.

And certainly not bodily. She still had the figure of a goddess, and Naruto couldn't help but drink up her appearance appreciatively.

Sometimes Naruto wondered if the Uzumaki clan was blessed by Kami for their longevity and forever-youthful appearance.

That brought her the question: did Kami exist?

Well, the Shinigami, the God of Death certainly did, she knew that no thanks to the _Shiki Fuujin_ , so why couldn't she, the Goddess of Light?

And wasn't that something to think about? The possibilities were _endless_.

Pushing aside her conspiracy theories, Naruto allowed a warm smile to bloom on her face, and she held out her hand for the woman to shake without feeling even the slightest bit nervous. She had met many influential people in her time, so meeting famous people didn't faze her anymore.

"Nice to meet you, Mito-sama! The name's Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto!"

It should be known that Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto was many things, and one of which was sociable.

She didn't care if the one in front of her was a poor orphan child or a bloody Daimyou; she smiled and greeted them all the same.

Her brave actions made Mito blink in surprise, being used to stuttering children and respectful adults, but none straightforward like this child was.

She turned to Arashi, her grand-nephew, who sighed exasperatedly before he introduced the two.

"Naruto-san, this is the current jailer of the Kyuubi, Uzumaku Mito-sama. Mito-sama, this is Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto, a time traveller, and future jailer of the Kyuubi."

That was all he had to say for an explanation to be required, and the story of Naruto to be told once again, taking up a good half hour.

Surprisingly, Mito easily accepted it. It astonished even her grand-nephew to see the woman so carefree, and this fact only made Naruto warm up to her easily.

"Why do you believe me?" she asked the woman once Arashi was done showering the woman with bewildered questions, and the woman chuckled at her question, sounding much like her real age with the secretive-granny expression on her face.

"I have created many seals called revolutionary during my lifetime, my dear girl," she replied without a single ounce of pride in her voice, simply stating a fact, only making Naruto respect her even more. "Why can't you do the same?"

Apparently, that was enough of an answer for Naruto, as the girl gave the old woman one of her brightest smiles, and Arashi had to wonder how the woman wasn't blinded just by the sheer purity of it.

They conversed for some time, before Arashi coughed, signalling it was time for the real reason why they were gathered.

Mito straightened, a look of nervousness and slight fear on her face, glancing at Naruto uncertainly.

Mito might like Naruto, but she didn't trust the Kyuubi, not even after the blonde told her how much she trusted the fox.

Years of negative feelings couldn't be erased within an hour, after all.

Mito still didn't feel safe enough to let the Kyuubi take over her body.

That only left one option: for future-Kurama and Naruto to enter the woman's mindscape and meet the Bijuu there.

And that was what they did.

Placing her palm on Mito's seal, Naruto concentrated and blanked her mind, then flared her chakra before taking a step forward mentally and opening her eyes.

In front of her, was a sewer not unlike her own mind's previous appearance. She scowled at the never-ending darkness but didn't comment on it, turning her head to the side and meeting the awaiting eyes of Kurama.

The lack of the height difference she had been awaiting surprised her, and when she looked down at her hands, she realised that her body was her adult self again.

She guessed that in the mindscape, bodily age didn't matter, but mental age did. Oh well, it didn't matter much anyway.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded at him, confirming that she was ready to meet his past self.

They walked through the corridors, Kurama leading the way using his chakra to track the other's, and some time that Naruto hadn't kept track of later due to her eyes' wandering, they arrived in front of a mossy and mouldy cage.

Naruto took a step forward, but before she could get too close, Kurama stopped her.

" **Stop. This Kyuubi isn't as flexible as I am.** "

Naruto nodded in understanding, keeping a safe distance from the bars.

A loud thud came from the inside, making a thunderous echo, and then another. One after another, the footsteps got closer, and Naruto couldn't help but stare in wonder.

What would this Kyuubi be like? Would he be hateful like Kurama had been when they first met, or restless, due to being sealed only once?

In any case, Naruto was eagerly looking forward to their confrontation.

A few seconds later, a large crimson slitted eye that Naruto was used to seeing at this point appeared, but the size was unlike she had ever seen. 

The tension was so thick she could feel a heavy weight on her shoulders, but Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto excelled breaking such tensions.

She turned to Kurama, who was now having a staring competition with his counterpart and snickered.

"You weren't kidding when you said I only had half of you, eh?"

The heavy aura suddenly dispelled, not completely, but it was an achievement to note.

Both Kyuubi's turned to her mirthful face, and glared at the same time, only causing her to start laughing out loud.

"Bwa ha ha ha, you should have seen your faces! Kurama, maybe you haven't changed all that much!"

The Kurama from the future sighed, closing his eyes in annoyance for a few seconds, before deciding to ignore the infuriating being standing next to him, turning to his younger and fuller counterpart standing behind the bars of the cage it was inside of.

" **Hello, Kurama. It's a pleasure to meet my past self, although you don't seem to be doing quite well.** "

The younger fox narrowed his eyes, his stare calculating and a mix between disbelieving and annoyed.

" **You claim to be my future** **self?** " he asked, making Naruto nod enthusiastically.

"Yup! How else would he have the same features as you, and also know your name?"

This attracted the fox's attention, and he turned to her, examining her as well.

" **And who are you?** " he asked, making Naruto internally feel pleased with the lack of respect. She hated flattery and polite small talk, so someone like the Kyuubi was the kind of conversationalist she liked the most.

"I am your third and final jailer, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto. I have come to ask for your consent to be sealed into me again, instead of being sealed into your second jailer from my time."

The Kyuubi snarled at the idea of being sealed.

" **And why should I choose to be sealed in either of you?** " he spat out angrily. He hated the lack of freedom, the disgusting treatment he didn't deserve, the powerlessness he felt.

Naruto smiled full of confidence.

"Because your second jailer already hates you, and as soon as you agree to become my partner, I will open the gates of my seal once again, giving you the freedom to come out whenever you want."

A growl emitted the demon fox's throat, and his eyes narrowed, full of fury.

" **Lies!** " He roared in anger, teeth gritted into a snarl. He hated lies, especially if they touched his sore spot. As if someone would actually _trust_ him with his freedom!

Kurama stepped forward.

" **Not at all. She tells the truth. Why I am not free right now, is because if I was, I would disappear. Two Kyuubi's aren't accepted in the world.** "

The past Kyuubi stared at him, so many emotions in his eyes that Naruto could hardly keep up with them, then calmed down, straightening himself, chin up high in arrogance, a gesture Naruto was quite familiar with from the future Kyuubi.

" **How do I know you aren't lying?** " he asked them, and Naruto could swear she could see hope in his eyes, although it vanished as soon as it appeared.

Kurama and Naruto looked at each other, before sharing a nod.

From there on, they both told their life story for the third time that day, but unlike the two other, they didn't skip the slightest details. Humans might try to change the timeline, but they had the utmost faith for the Kyuubi to know the consequences of doing so.

After the story was finished, the Kyuubi was thoughtful for a while. The story of his brethren being extracted had affected him a lot. Although he didn't like them very much, they still didn't deserve the fate Kaguya the Rabbit Goddess had wanted them to have.

Making up his mind, he raised his head and nodded at them.

"Alright. I agree to be sealed within you."

Naruto cheered, jumping up and down excitedly, while Kurama let out a satisfied smile.

After some more conversing and a brief goodbye, they exited the mindscape, and were immediately met with the awaiting eyes of two Uzumaki's.

Naruto grinned and nodded.

"We succeeded."

The two Uzumaki's could only let out twin breaths of relief, making the blonde snicker.

"Maa, you're really related, aren't you?"

Mito raised an eyebrow at her.

"You are as well. Kushina is my great-granddaughter, didn't you know?"

Naruto froze.

"Eh?!"


	4. Return Of Gbe Godfather

Three days after meeting Mito and young-Kyuubi, Jiraiya arrived at Uzushiogakure. He was immediately- well, not immediately, he had visited the hot springs before doing so- escorted to the Kage Tower.

As soon as he laid his eyes on the white-haired man, Arashi could practically feel the power he emitted. He certainly _was_ the student of the God of Shinobi, and one of the Three Legendary Sannin.

He stood up, walking up to his guest, and shook his hand in greeting, exchanging pleasantries, before offering him a seat.

"Now, I would like to talk to you about the real reason I have called you here," he told the slightly older man, whose face barely visibly stiffened, eyes narrowing sharply.

Inclining his head, he urged the man to continue his explanation, but instead, the redhead tapped a seal on his desk.

The action wasn't missed at all by him, and as he could clearly see the many seals carved on the desk, he could only wonder what this one did, as it wasn't nearly as visible as he would have liked from the angle he was looking.

Suddenly, a blur came in through the window, and Jiraiya's hand immediately met with his kunai out of reflex. His hand quickly relaxed, though, when his eyes rested upon a blonde child with eyes mature beyond her years. He could only wonder why she was here.

Arashi nodded at Naruto in greeting, and the blonde grinned back at him, before taking a seat herself and saluting the Sannin childishly.

"Yo! You're that perverted toad sage, right? The name's Naruto; Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! Nice t' meet'cha!"

She stared blankly at the man, and even though she covered up all the emotions that swelled up inside her after seeing her mentor for the first time in ten years, she couldn't avert her gaze at all.

Jiraiya stared at the blonde kid in wonder, then turned to Arashi with an eyebrow quirked, a silent question visible in his eyes.

' _What does this kid have to do with anything?_ '

As socially observant as ever, Naruto picked up on his bafflement, blocked her yearning feelings and spoke up once again, her eyes gaining a strange glint looking to be a mix of amusement and cunning.

"I'm the one who wanted you here."

This time, the Toad Sage voiced out his surprise.

"Oh? And what does a Gaki like you need me for?" His eyes never left the girl as he spoke, picking up on every reaction she had. His eyes had held an aura of authority, and his voice was that of a commander.

The girl, not intimidated in the least, had the audacity to snort at him. Her nickname from her last life made her heart clench painfully, but outwardly, she mirrored none of her true feelings.

"I need you to convince Konoha to help Uzushio from being defeated by Kiri and Iwa in their upcoming invasion in a couple of months."

The Sannin's eyebrows nearly reached his hairline, and he whipped his head towards the Acting Uzukage, who only nodded at him, confirming the girl's words were true.

Jiraiya slumped backwards on his chair, a grim aura embracing him, his eyes clouded with thoughts, obviously not completely in the real world.

Naruto stood up and trotted towards the man who suddenly seemed to have aged several decades, and tapped him on the forehead, snapping him out of his stupor.

"Oi, don't panic, will ya?" she grumbled, but while her voice was laced with displeasure, her eyes were filled with satisfaction. She was obviously pleased that he seemed to care about Uzushio. "We already have a plan to win, but we need your help." She then sighed, running a hand through her hair, her nervous tick showing that she trusted the two other people within the room, not that they were aware of the meaning of this seemingly normal action. "But first, we need to explain just why I am involved."

And since she had arrived at the timeline a week ago, Naruto told her life story for the fourth time.

{}

Jiraiya tapped his chin thoughtfully, staring at the girl in front of him with an entirely new perspective.

A time traveller who looks like a kid, but was actually in her mid-twenties and a future Hokage... Who would have thought?

His gaze bore into the girl's eyes, but she did not flinch in the slightest, merely narrowing her eyes slightly, as if silently challenging him to dismiss her tellings.

The white-haired man felt his lips quirk upwards slightly. He liked this kid. Although from what she said they were acquainted in the future, close even, it was still an achievement to disregard his strength so easily.

Jiraiya could clearly see that the blonde was not arrogant: she had the skills to back up her confidence; if the heavy weight her gaze, when it had fallen upon him, wasn't enough proof, the bloodlust she carefully hid, but sometimes let out for intimidation was.

He nodded at the two Uzumaki and allowed a broad smirk to engrave itself on his face.

"Alright: I believe you. Now that you have told me this, what do you want from me?" he asked, setting his cheek on his palm and letting his amusement show.

The two glanced at each other, before Arashi sighed, and spoke up.

"Before the Kyuubi is sealed in Naruto-san, we would like for you to adopt her."

Jiraiya choked on her spit, coughing a few times, before raising his head, eyes filled with disbelief.

"What?!"

Naruto snickered at his reaction, earning a glare she ignored, before stepping forward, stopping an arm's length before him.

"Arashi-sama and I both agree that after the war is over, it is most beneficial for me to join the Shinobi ranks of Konoha. As Uzushio is a small country, with manpower barely matching a fourth of Konoha's, the risk of keeping a Jinchuuriki here is too much to be safe. And for me to join Konoha, the easiest way is to be adopted.

"Also, the adoption must happen before the Sealing Ritual, as after the sealing, I will officially be recognised as a 'weapon', and adopting me will be seen as an attempt to gain power." She raised an eyebrow, daring him to refute the plot. "Have you a better plan?"

Jiraiya sat contemplatively for a few minutes, before he sighed, rubbed his face with his hand, and nodded.

"Alright, I accept," he muttered in defeat. "Seriously, I never thought I'd have a daughter one day, and one around my age mentally at that! It would have been much less awkward if I was at your father's age mentally."

Contrary to his expectation, the previously energetic girl did not tease him. Instead, she started shifting nervously, as if she wanted to say something more.

Seeing the girl suddenly turn shy, Jiraiya narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

The girl flinched and started sputtering incomprehensibly. It took her around ten seconds to gain her composure, and even then, she couldn't look him in the eye.

"Actually... I might have a way to help you regain your mind and memories from my time," she said, and two heads immediately snapped towards her, Arashi obviously unaware of this piece of information.

"What?!" they both cried out, Jiraiya standing up in alarm.

Naruto scratched her cheek sheepishly, an awkward smile on her face.

"I might have a way to give you your future memories," she repeated, raising her head and staring at the two for a moment, before looking away.

It had been a spur of the moment decision, and she was already regretting saying what she had now. It would have been much easier if she hadn't relaxed and kept her mouth shut, but being near her old mentor again was too heavy emotionally for her to keep her usual composure.

For her, it had been more than ten years since she had last seen him. Over those years, she had stopped grieving, but she had always missed the first father figure she had ever had.

Jiraiya was perverted, yes, and maybe a bit immature, but he had still been the guardian figure she had lost at the day of her birth and had craved for ever since.

The two males shook their heads, Arashi feelings headache coming up with an internal groan.

As much as he appreciated the girl's help, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto was a headache and some, with all the secrets and surprises she had.

It didn't help that she liked blurting them out abruptly either, like the time she had told Arashi that the Acting Uzukage's cousin twice removed, and currently nine years of age, was Pein, formerly(or currently right now)known as Uzumaki Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan, and an S-Rank Ninja who had once destroyed Konoha by his own hands, though he had reverted it before dying.

"And how in the hell are you going to do that?" asked Jiraiya, incredulous yet very much intrigued.

Naruto blushed slightly in embarrassment, remembering the reason and method of this amazing feat.

**Flashback**

_A nearly fifteen-year-old Naruto pouted, glaring daggers at Tsunade and Jiraiya as they shooed her out of the former's office under the pretence that they would be discussing matters they could not disclose to her._

_Naruto knew that meant Jiraiya had new information about the Akatsuki, who were_ clearly _after her by the way! It was information that concerned her, yet she was not allowed to listen: this was unfair, dattebayo!_

_"But why can't I stay and listen?" she whined, stomping her feet childishly and crossing her arms in refusal._

_Tsunade sighed, rubbing her forehead in annoyance, having repeated why several times already._

"Because, _Naruto_ , _you do_ not _have the rank qualified to know this information!" she replied for the fourth time, teeth gritting impatiently. She had had enough repeating herself._

_Naruto scowled at the answer, finding it utterly ridiculous_ _and relaying her dissatisfaction._

_"You_ do _realise that it concerns my wellbeing, right? The Akatsuki are after_ me _! I should be_ _aware of what's going on with them, if not because I deserve to, but because I need to_ protect myself!"

_Tsunade slammed her fish on her table, having run out of fuse, a furious expression on her face._

_"Enough is enough, Naruto! You are to obey my orders as the Hokage!" She calmed down slightly, but even if her facial expression cleared, her eyes did not, as cloudy as before. "Now, Genin Uzumaki, get out before I kick you out personally and assign you D-Ranks for a month!"_

_Jiraiya stood at the sidelines, not wanting to be included in their confrontation, and sighed at the sight in front of him._

_He did not like the idea of excluding Naruto, especially because she had the right to know the information concerning her life, but knowing her, the information would only infuriate her hot-blooded personality._

_Naruto was only a Genin right now, she couldn't directly confront an organisation of S-Rank missing ninja._ _Even if she was strong, she still didn't have enough strength to beat Kage-Level ninja._

_Naruto stood at her place for a second, before she turned around and stomped outside, face filled with so much anger that when she slammed the door shut behind her, the poor secretary sitting there startled and turned around, before paling and possibly wetting herself._

_The blonde let herself dissolve into a powerful Wind_ Shunshin _, leaving behind a thunderous explosion of wind currents, and appearing on a rooftop around a kilometre from the spot she previously occupied, jumping from roof to roof until she reached Training Ground 43, next to the Forest of Death, and unoccupied due to the cursed, if rumours were to be trusted, grounds that occasionally had various vicious animals escape from._

_It took her several hours of ruining the place and collapsing due to chakra exhaustion to be able to think clearly again from where she lay, covered in sweat and dirt with the crater from an_ Oodama Rasengan _she had slammed to the ground._

_It was infuriating, not being told anything, when the choice of the topic involved you._

_She lay there for what felt like hours, just replaying the earlier scene over and over again, alongside familiar ones that happened every so often, before a spark appeared in her eyes and she sat up, once again full of energy, and a determined smirk on face._

_She had an idea on how to get the information she wanted._

**Flashback** **End**

After that, Naruto had worked on a seal of her own creation for three months, before finally achieving one that didn't explode in her face or tried to suck out all her memories from her brain; the latter one later inspiring her creation of the Chakra Leech.

It was a seal that copied and transferred the memories of the entity it was placed on to a linked seal, by being provided chakra from the link.

Unfortunately, after she placed it on Jiraiya without him knowing, something that took her hours of scheming to do, and tried to activate it during a meeting, she found out that her seal was a failure.

She tried for some more time to fix it after that, but to no avail, and eventually, the seal hidden beneath the Toad Sage's spiky hair on the back of his neck was forgotten.

It was several months after that that Jiraiya was reported dead, but what nobody knew was that just before the man's brain stopped functioning, every single memory stored in there was suddenly transferred to Naruto, becoming a part of her own memory.

It has been a complete accident on her part, but her seal has essentially turned the Toad Sage into a Kage Bunshin memory-wise.

This was why Naruto could give Jiraiya his memories: she already had them in her head!

{}

After telling this story to the two men in the room, Naruto swept her gaze to the side, cheeks still flaming in embarrassment.

As a Seal Master now, looking back to her mistakes, and idiotic ones like this one made big blows to her pride.

It also didn't help that Jiraiya cracked up after hearing the story, while Arashi buried his face to her hand, trying to hide his own amusement.

Cheeks flaming like a tomato, Naruto punched both men in the gut, before threatening them so viciously that they agreed to never tell the tale to anyone else, covering their private parts while shivering in fear at the demon standing in front of of them.

Who said the Kyuubi was a demon?

This girl was clearly the devil himself!


	5. A Chibi Habanero

It was later that day that Jiraiya regained his memories prior to his future death, and while that meant he only remembered up to Naruto's fifteen-year-old self, it was still an improvement.

The first thing he did afterwards was to start recording his future Icha Icha novels, earning him a strong punch to the head by the blonde, who berated herself for feeling emotional at the return of the man she had known.

After Jiraiya got used to his new self, he signed the girl's adoption papers and effectively became her legal guardian, or father, as he liked to say, not that the blonde ever acknowledged the fact despite feeling incredibly happy on the inside.

A week later, Arashi called for the Uzushio Shinobi Council, made entirely of Uzumaki, and told them of his decision to change the future carrier of the Kyuubi.

His decision caused an uproar, but after some explanation, it was reluctantly accepted by all but Kushina's father, who was seething that after making the incredibly hard decision of burdening Kushina to become a Jinchuuriki, it was abruptly changed like so.

The explanation that the three schemers had come up with was quite brilliant, and the inspiration for it had come from Sora, the Fire Temple Jinchuuriki from Naruto's previous life.

Naruto's back story was that she was a half Uzumaki who had the excess chakra left of the Kyuubi from its previous battles sealed inside her from birth, effectively readying her body to become a full Jinchuuriki by stretching her chakra coils and capacity to several times even the Uzumaki with the most chakra could achieve.

Afterwards, Naruto was brought to the meeting, where she explained that she already had control over the second chakra inside of her, demonstrating by covering her hand with the red chakra and turning it into a claw, and satisfying the council that this was a better decision than sealing the Kyuubi into a girl who hadn't any experience with the vicious chakra before.

Especially because Kushina was the Heiress to the Uzumaki Royal Family, a direct descendant of the founding Uzumaki, despite her status as a part Uzumaki and part Senju.

The girl had already unlocked her chakra chains, and while her control over them or her chakra was abysmal, she was still recognised as Heiress due to unlocking her Kekkei Genkai.

Naruto herself also had chakra chains, but she mostly hid them because they were rare to come by, and many would be after her to capture and breed her for them.

This had happened to Kushina, as she had heard of Kumo's scheme to capture her, and Minato rescuing her after graduating from the academy in her previous life.

Naruto had no intention of letting the same happen to her.

After the acceptance, they revealed that Jiraiya of the Sannin had adopted her, and that after her sealing, she would be sent to Konoha to become a dual-village shinobi there.

This decision was accepted surprisingly easily, as many understood that Konoha was safer than Uzushio, and an ally of their village since both villages' founding.

{}

After the council meeting was over, Naruto exited alongside Arashi, the two chatting softly about their plans for the future from then on, now that Naruto was accepted as the next Jinchuuriki and allowed to go to Konoha as well.

As they were conversing, a scream came from the side, and suddenly, Naruto was attacked by a red blur she easily dodged, then stared at incredulously.

There, in front of her, stood Uzumaki Kushina, her mother, and a current nine-year-old child.

Kushina was fuming as she pointed her finger at Naruto, body trembling and teeth gritted.

"You!" she cried out, but before anything else could be said, Arashi stepped forward, pushing Naruto behind him, face calm but eyebrows furrowed in disappointment.

"Kushina-chan, why did you attack Naruto?" he asked, face stern and an unhappy look in his eyes.

Kushina stared at him incredulously, not understanding why he was protecting the girl behind him.

"Uncle Arashi! She stole my position!" she snapped, pointing a finger at the accused, who was only standing calmly, an eyebrow raised at her, her composure only infuriating the redhead further.

"Oh?" said Naruto, stepping forward and out of Arashi's protection. "And why are you angry with that? Don't you hate the Kyuubi? Shouldn't you be happy not to have the burden of having him sealed in you?"

Kushina gaped at the blunt words of the child younger than her, opening and closing her mouth, but unable to make a single sound.

Naruto couldn't help it: she smirked.

"What? Fox got your tongue?"

Kurama snickered inside of her while Arashi shot a look of exasperation at her.

"Naruto, don't rile her up," he said disapprovingly, before turning to Kushina. "and Kushina, don't attack others because you are angry. I know that becoming the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki was a big decision in your life, but Naruto is a better candidate than you in this case, and was chosen accordingly."

Kushina looked disbelieving, before composing herself and shooting a glare at Naruto.

"Oh? And why is she better?" she asked, crossing her arms childishly.

It was Naruto that answered her.

"Because I've had a part of the Kyuubi inside of me since I was born. _And_ unlike _you_ _I_ don't have any prejudice against him!"

The redhead huffed in annoyance.

"I _don't_ have any pre-giu-dees against it!" she whined, only serving to Naruto's amusement at her mispronunciation.

"Oh? Do you even know what prejudice means?" At her beet-red face, she scoffed. "It means even if you don't know anything about him, you believe in what others say about him! That's exactly what you do, isn't it?"

Kushina glared at her with all her might, but as she was only nine, with no blood on her hands and no idea of the real world, it was equal to a rabbit's stare before being gutted to Naruto.

"But the Kyuubi is evil!" she argued, but her tantrum was stopped by the blonde's disappointed stare, making her feel like she was but a gum stuck beneath her shoes.

"Oh? And how do you know that? Did you ever talk to him? Have you ever witnessed his so-called 'evilness'? Where is your proof?"

Kushina took a step back with every sentence, trembling in fright. What was with this girl? She looked younger than her, yet she was so intimidating(not that she knew the word, but she had heard her mother using it before)!

"W-what do you know?" she shot back weakly but was set with a victorious smirk.

"I know that he is snarky but intelligent. I know that attacking Konoha was not his fault. I know that he is only angry because he is locked inside someone, deprived of his freedom. I know because I talked to him before judging him," With every sentence, she took a step forward, finally stopping in front of the girl, her nose nearly touching the other 's as she leaned in and whispered to her ear. "I ask you again: _what do you know_?"

After her words, she stepped back, marvelling at the sight of the girl looking ready to piss herself, and turning around, walking back to Arashi who was looking at her disapprovingly, but understandingly.

"Let's go to tell Ero-tousan how the meeting went." She told the man, earning back a nod. She then turned around once more, causing Kushina to flinch. "Also, just so you know, the Kyuubi's a _he_ , not an _it._ He also has a name, not that you deserve to know what it is." She then turned back to Arashi, signalling that she was ready to go.

Together, they walked away, ignoring the now wailing Kushina and her unhappy parents.

They had no time to deal with children. Now that they had gotten approval, they needed to hastily commence with the Sealing Ritual, before heading to Konoha for assistance.

A war was coming, and they needed to prepare all they could before Uzushio was reduced to rubble again.

This time, they wouldn't let the village fall.


	6. The Fall of a Legend

The adoption process went smoothly, and soon after the council meeting, Naruto officially became Jiraiya's daughter. Although they were now truly father and daughter, Naruto still refused to call him 'Tou-san' to his face, only ever using the term behind his back. It was quite amusing for Arashi as the pair acted like 5-year-olds, when mentally one was over forty and the other in her mid-twenties.

There was also the problem of their individual futures differing from each other. Jiraiya obviously only remembered until he died by Pein's hands, while Naruto remembered even a decade more after that. So while Jiraiya thought her as the 15-year-old from a few days ago, for Naruto, he was a ghost from ten years ago, a faded whisper of the past.

It took some time and Naruto sharing most of her memories with the man using her special seals to get used to their memory difference, but within a week, they were back to how they had been in the future, able to read each other's thoughts by a single glance. It was quite creepy, for them to glance at the other and then hand them a scroll like they had been asked for it verbally.

It also wasn't quite awkward now that they had some age difference mentally as well.

Before the sealing, the father-daughter pair spent most of their time in Uzushiogakure's library, studying scroll after scroll of _Fuuinjutsu_ , both of them using their utmost limit of _Kage Bunshin_ and only sleeping the bare necessity.

After a week of being legal family, the time for the _Kyuubi no Kitsune_ 's sealing. It went without any difficulties, and soon enough, Naruto became Kurama's official _Jinchuuriki_ again. The past Kurama merged with the future Kurama, and the timeline finally accepted Naruto as a part of it, allowing her to rewire her seal to allow freedom to the fox again.

There was one small problem though: after the sealing, Naruto now had an extra _Yang_ half of _Kyuubi_ chakra in her again. Kurama's solution for that was depleting the extra chakra with a couple of _Bijuudama_.

Let's just say that the water surrounding the island of Uzushio was much deeper now. Also, mysteriously, the east of Uzushio now completely lacked sea life within it. The night before this was noticed, some villagers claimed they saw humongous balls of light being launched away from the island.

This became one of Uzushio's biggest unsolved mysteries, and the answer was only found around a decade layer, with Naruto unintentionally blurting the fact out when she was muddleheaded. During those ten years, rumours raked the village of a guardian spirit who purified the sea around the island every once in a while to cleanse it of evil energy and ghosts. People even named this spirit ' _Uzu no Hogosha_ ', the 'Guardian of Uzu', but that's a story for another time.

{}

Naruto sat in the Uzukage's office, hands clasped in front of her as she rested her chin on top of them, eyes cloudy and expression thoughtful. Jiraiya and Arashi were stood at her sides, both with pensive looks, eyes glued on the map in front of them.

It was a map of the Five Nations, but the part they were focused on was limited to Uzushio's borders with Kiri and Iwa only, with many scratches and circles covering the areas.

The three were currently going over every single place they thought the attack could come from, and with Jiraiya having lived through it before, albeit not participated due to Konoha's failure to realise the attack until it was over, they knew more profound details and could make more credible guesses, helping them save time by a large margin.

After some time, a glint appeared in Naruto's eyes, and her hand swept forward, a brush attached to it, marking another small area they hadn't noticed yet.

"This place as well. There's a small village located here, and they can easily take it over with five ninja due to it being a civilian village. Then they would have more resources to fight alongside achieving a small disturbance in our trading, lowering our resources."

Both men nodded in agreement, and Jiraiya opened his mouth to comment, but before he could, he was cut off by the door slamming open and a sweaty and panicked _Chuunin_ entered the room.

"Acting Uzukage-sama, Mito-sama has passed away!"

{}

The funeral was held three days later, one which every single occupant of the village participated in. It was quite simple, leaving flowers, lowering the casket, and an honouring speech. It took merely two hours to finish, merely two hours for a woman famous for decades to be buried, but most stayed behind for some more time to pay their respects to the fallen Uzumaki legend.

As Naruto approached the photo of her deceased ancestor with a solemn look, she felt slight wetness on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw that the rain clouds had formed, and raindrops were starting to fall.

It reminded her all too much of Sandaime-jiji's wedding, she found to her morbid fascination. How fitting, for even the sky to shed tears for this legendary figure's demise. She left the white lily in her hand beneath the framed photograph where hundreds of other flowers alike lay, apathetic to her now drenched hair and clothes sticking to her skin uncomfortably.

"And yet another legend has fallen," she spoke in melancholy. From her side, she could hear the Uzumaki Royal Family grieving, but she paid them no mind.

Her eyes held no sadness, no tears spilling, for she had buried thousands of comrades, half with her own hands, and she simply bowed in respect after her quiet last words to the hero in front of her. A hero that fought battles that went down in history, who acted even more heroic than the leaders of society, who had already seen all that is to be seen.

This was the least she could do when she was the one who ended the fragile life she still held onto after many years, as when the _Bijuu_ of a _Jinchuuriki_ was extracted, they fell incredibly weak, most even dying. Mito had managed to hang on for a week due to her magical Uzumaki blood, but even the greatest of Uzumaki couldn't survive after losing the source of energy that kept them alive for many years, especially when they were at such an old age.

Thirty minutes later, the blonde straightened back up, spun on her heel, and walked away. Her face held no emotion and her eyes held no light, yet with every step she took, the rain lightened and lightened.

As she took her final step out of the funeral avenue, the rain completely stopped, and the sun shone once more, gently lighting up the photograph once more.

Heroes may fall, but new ones would arise.

That day, Naruto took upon her predecessor's will, and thus became the start of a legend to be remembered for thousands of years.

The legend of the Yellow Maelstrom.


	7. Envoys

A week after the funeral, the pre-war situation was discussed within the Uzushiogakure Council, and Konoha was alerted by one of the carrier pigeons that Uzushio would be sending an envoy in the next few days to discuss the details.

The envoys selected to go were obviously the Uzumaki Arashi, now the Yondaime Uzukage after a short ceremony a few days after Mito-sama's funeral, Naruto, and a few other Uzumaki councilmen.

After some discussion, it was decided for the best that, in order not to alert Iwa or Kumo, Konoha reinforcements would be sent using a special seal: a seal which caused a massive portal, to be exact. It was the creation of Naruto, Arashi and Jiraiya working together, and was perfected enough for usage, the only downside being that it caused nausea.

The seal also required a lot of chakra to use, so much, that if a dozen average _Jounin_ in tried to support it, they would only last a quarter of a minute before they would completely be sucked out of chakra and be sent to the hospital for chakra exhaustion.

This was why there were more Uzumaki going as envoys than usual: ten of them, not counting Naruto and Arashi. This way, they would have enough chakra to support the seal for around half an hour, enough for the Konoha forces to reach the other side. After that, some Uzumaki from the other side would go to Konoha, and the portal would always be kept open for the duration of the war by rotation.

It was a sound plan, which met the expectations as the ones that had created it were the Kage Level ninja, two of which knowing the responsibilities of a Kage firsthand, and the other having a Kage as a teacher.

And so, the envoy took off, travelling for two days and two nights non-stop, before finally reaching the large gates of Konohagakure.

Naruto's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the place before her: she had come home! It wasn't _her_ Konoha anymore, the three Hokage heads proof of that, but it was and would always be the place she had spent her childhood in.

Her heart clenched as she thought of all the friends she had lost, all those who had been her closest, her family, and none of which sue could save in the end. Before she could succumb to depression and sadness, she felt a knowing glance sent her way, and composed herself, turning to grin at Arashi, as if telling him she was fine.

Naruto then sent a side glance to Jiraiya, but the man was too caught up in ogling a woman with large breasts to notice, so she jabbed her elbow into his side, making him groan in pain, and successfully capturing his attention.

"That hurt, you brat!" He said with a glare, and Naruto stuck out her tongue in response, simultaneously pulling down her left lower eyelid as well.

"Bleugh, you old man, aren't you a Kage level ninja? Does a nudge from a kid really hurt that much? Have you grown weak as you aged, dattebayo?"

Jiraiya swatted down at her head in response, irked at being called old when he was only in his mid-twenties, and the girl, already having anticipated it, grinned cheekily as she dodged, hopping on top of the man's head with a single effortless jump, and crouching down mockingly.

"You really _have_ grown old, haven't you? If not, why are you so slow?" With another swat her way, she jumped down gracefully, then stuck out her tongue once again, Arashi chuckling at her antics.

"Alright Naruto-chan, we have come here as representatives of Uzushiogakure, so please mind your behaviour a bit more." he lightly scolded the blonde, making her pout slightly.

"Fine, fine!" she agreed after a few seconds, raising her hands in defeat. "But I really want to eat now, dattebayo!" She then nudged Jiraiya again. "Oi, Ero-Sennin, does Ichiraku's exist right now? 'Cause I could _really_ do some ramen right now, dattebayo!"

The man finally managed to slap a hand on the girl's head, and pressed down, making the girl squirm in discomfort.

"Wait until after the meeting, brat. We don't have much time until it's scheduled time."

Naruto nodded in defeat, then went back to surveying the village, excitement visible in every cell of her body as she looked at stalls, guessed people's ages and clans, and created a game of pointing out the ANBU Black Ops members who had been following them since their entrance of the village.

The last one was quite fun, because every time she pointed at one of them and waved while shouting 'Goog morning, ANBU-san!', the ninja would disappear from their spot and appear at somewhere else, which she proceeded to point out as well.

Her actions earned her amused looks and a fist to the head after she started to agitate the ANBU, one of which already succumbing to negativity after being discovered by a mete child dozens of times. Their chakra was overflowing with depression, Naruto had sensed.

"Oi, brat, if you don't stop that, the village will have no ANBU left, you know? All their self-esteem has already been lost, give them a break!" The white-haired Sannin grumbled, but internally, he was also amused. Naruto had always been a natural chakra sensor, and a powerful one at that, even managing to sense one's emotions, a feat only few could do, from miles away without even needing to concentrate. Too bad she chose to demonstrate that by pranking people, though.

A five-minute walk later, they arrived at the Hokage tower, entering after greeting the guards in front of the doors, and walking down the familiar path Naruto had walked down thousands of times.

Reaching the Hokage's office, the assistant in front of it was startled, and he scrambled to knock on the door and inform the Hokage of the Uzushio citizens' arrival.

A minute later, two _Chuunin_ exited the room, bowing in respect towards the mass of redheads and walking away hurriedly, though shooting awed glances at them during the way.

Naruto snickered at their actions.

"Never seen so many redheads in their lives, have they?" she commented. Jiraiya let out a hum of agreement, also looking amused by the attention the Uzumaki received.

The assistant bowed down professionally, having overcome her surprise in the minutes of waiting the group's arrival had brought.

"Hokage-sama awaits you inside, Uzukage-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Uzumaki-samas."

The group of thirteen people walked inside, Naruto giving the assistant a wide grin and startling her successfully, then gaining an awkward one in return as she did so. After their entrance, the door was closed behind them, and Naruto looked around in wonder.

The Hokage's office was just how she remembered it to be: simple, but effective. Two ANBU guards were situated in the corners of the room and in places effective enough to protect the Hokage in case of a threat arising.

And then her eyes met the figure stirring behind the desk, and her eyes flashed with memories.

_Jiji_. She had missed him so much! It had been fourteen years since she had last seen him, and yet here he was, younger than she ever remembered. His eyes weren't soft like in his later years, a hard streak in them, and he looked every bit of the God of Shinobi title he had been awarded.

Within seconds, her emotions were once again sealed inside of her, and she locked them inside several mental cages to avoid their influence, deciding to go over them later. Now was not the time to be reminiscing. They had come here for more important reasons.

Arashi smiled as he stepped forward, Hiruzen also standing up and shaking his hand in greeting.

"Welcome, Uzukage-dono. Congratulations on becoming a Kage." Arashi chuckled lightly.

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here, Hokage-dono," he replied politely.

The Sandaime Hokage gestures for the seat in front of the desk, sitting down himself on his own chair. He nodded at the other envoys in greeting, though his gaze lingered on Naruto for a bit, probably having not expected a child to come.

"So, tell me about the upcoming war."

And so they did.


End file.
